A shell of me...

Running everywhere,
with my feet firmly on the ground.

People dashing past,
with my eyes closed, I haven't heard a sound.

Around and out; people talking, laughing,
I haven't said a thing.

Time speeds, time slows down,
I have been sleeping through it all.

Tear streaming down my face,
now I am wide awake, still breathing.

Circles of life,
I am in the middle,

Standing, breathing, being
but not believing....


Anonymous

Polo - come on now chaps, giddy up!!

Last October I donned a ball gown to attend my friend Sue's glamorous 1940's war time themed ball. Well I think the champagne and the red lipstick went to my head, because at the charity auction I bid on, and won, a 2 hour Introduction to Polo lesson! Well, my that sounds posh if I do say so myself.

So finally 5 months later, I finally get around to doing it. Sue was keen to help me enjoy, or endure....my experience and offered to have me up at hers, since she lives 5 minutes away from the UK's largest polo club - The Hertforshire Polo club. It's not well signed or advertised, because not even Sue knew that. Anway, after a lovely light lunch at Sues; Sue, her mum and I ventured over to get my lesson started.

I expected a young stud of an English Polo player to take me through my paces, you know like Prince William or something, but Sue and I were a little disapointed that the Senior coach was actually, well senior. Lovely chap, and quite a quirky sense of humour to boot, but not really the eye candy that we were hoping for. LOL.

Anyway firstly we got a mini history lesson in where Polo came from; back from the Mongolians, who started by after a bit of a war by chopping of peoples heads (whilst on horse back) and smacking them around the ground with their swords. Humm, not to pleasant, but eventually they figured heads were a bit messy and used bamboo root balls and bamboo sticks. It then travelled to India, where the Brits came along decided it was quite a bit of fun, stole it back to England, where they added all the rules and regulations. Following on from that an American guy took it to Argentina where, well they took off with it, its a national sport, bigger than football (and we know how much the Argentinians love their footy) and now have about 40 top teams all better than the best English team - ater all in Argentina they are practically born on horse back!!

Ok history sorted, I get taken out to stand on a box, feet apart (pretending I am on a horse), to learn how to hit the ball around using the stick. I will refer to it as the stick, as he never mentioned a more technical term than that!! Oh and I learn that it is not croquet on horseback, you use the wide side of the stick! Ha how funny.

Then, I get introduced to the lovely, but incredibly lazy (thank goodness, I didn't want a horse that wanted to gallop off) Mimosa. She was very sweet and certainly paid no heed to my pathetic attempts to kick her to make her move much. It's a bit different on a horse for polo, as when you ride normally you have the reins in both hands, but where you are expected to hold a stick in one hand, then reins, and whip (not to hit them with, but apparently they respond better if you have it as they fear the thought that you might use it) in the other it gets a little trickier.

Firstly, we went out just on the horses, to get my riding legs and to ensure that I could get Mimosa to go left and right, and well just move in general - like I said, she was a bit lazy, and I was a bit pathetic according to my coach at kicking her. Well I didn't want to hurt her!!! Oh and Mimosa is a polo pony, so they are littler than normal horses (thus why all the guys playing polo look like they have really long legs). Cute.

Next was an updated lesson to ensure I was ready to get out there and try it for real - oh and I also was told the rules of the game (of which there aren't actually that many). Then off we went. I had a ball, seriously there is a lot to remember, but once I was out there all I wanted to was hit than damn ball, and I nearly forgot I was on a horse, but for the fact that my legs were already killing me. I can see how it takes years to learn, it's quite one thing riding a horse, but another to learn to hit a ball, not wack the horse, follow the rules, not hit other people and the game is amazingly fast too.

So that was that, it was great fun for a laugh, but sadly I don't think its going to be my next hobby as much as I'd love to give it a go. Its certainly not a poor mans sport, at 950 quid for 20 hours of lessons - that and when you do finally become good at the game you have to join the club and buy two horses, oh and your also expected to drum up others to play, sponsor you and end up with your own fabulous team. Hummmm. I don't think so.

Anyway, my next Polo adventure will be during the summer when we are going to make a day of watching a polo tournament with frocks and picnics on the sidelines (a bit Pretty Woman style). I cannot wait, and I can at least be guaranteed not to be walking like John Wayne at the end of that day!

What a gorgeous horse!
Sitting in the club rooms for my intro!
Me and my Polo veteran
The practice pitch
Walking back to the horses
Practicing the moves on the box
More practice
Getting into it
Me on Mimosa, a lovely filly
Getting saddled up
We are on the move
Out on the pitch,oops missed it.
Getting shown how its done
On the move and I hit it - woohoo!
Missed so turning around, damn
My teacher in action
My teacher the Senior Coach
This looks impressive
Doing ok, but Mimosa looks bored...
Ouch my hand, but it was fun!

Today...feeling a bit...well ...you know...

Today I have a cold still, or rather another new one...which seems to only be minor thank goodness. I have consoled myself with some dark chocolate so its all ok now, that and a good girly chat to Sophie...gosh where would I be without my girls.

I know I don't ring you all, or even email often, I am rubbish at that, but I love you all to pieces and I wish I could have you all here with me - you all know who you are, my Adelaide posse, my London posse and my Canadian gals too (plus the special Melbourne gal - who really should fall under the Adelaide posse, but she's a bit special so she gets her own mention).

When I am home at Xmas I am going to take so many photos of you all, so I can plaster your pretty faces all around my flat, I don't think I have ever taken so many photos as I do here...everywhere you go its...cameras at the ready. If I ever have memory loss there will be plenty of photos to remind me that is for sure.

Anyways a few pics so "you" don't forget about me - Big Kisses Lisa x

Okawari with Toni
Sophie and Lisa out for Ching & Asli's Birthday
Lisa, Sue and Audrey out for Sushi and random bands on Valetines night
Lisa and Julie in Belfast where they build the Titanic
and finally Lisa still remembering her roots...Australia home sweet home

Lisa is....again....

Another time for me to impress upon you all how Lisa is right now!

Lisa is tired (no shocks there)....

And Lisa is......

... getting glamed up for a night on the town.

... knowing things are not all as they seem

... allowing herself to worry too damn much

... hungry and should have gone food shopping today

... a lazy arse

... loving the hair straightener right now

... still the Queen of Procrastination

... becoming a bit of a social experiment

... wondering how things will pan out and is wanting to sneak a peak at the ending

... like a box of chocolates and would like to eat some too

... a bit of a page turner, but no one is reading her.

... knowing what she wants but not having a clue all at the same time

... not wanting any responses to this weird blog, because its not that kinda blog

... still without a television, but has holidays booked for June instead

... glad Sophie and Maddy introduced her to Olives...so yummy

... glad that Barns allowed her to savour the delights of Fois Gras... again delicious.

... thinking that Barns and Jamie in A Place in the Sun was quite entertaining

... wondering if all adults feel the same way in that you are only ever pretending to be a grown up

... glad she dusted the floors today, oh so much hair

... ready for the masquerade shin dig for Chingy tonight

... in love, with..........

... a very confused girl, and confessions shes had about single life from other single girls does nothing to help her situation

... looking forward to Bratislava

... anxious, hyped up, nervous, totally mad!

... enjoying sunny days

... reading The Living Dead... not not a Zombie book, but one about the truth about office life

... wanting Mr Darcy to be a very real person

... thinking this has gone on far enough

... knowing she enjoyed last nights very heated political debate over the fact that 92% of the British polulation is white, even if someone thinks it is actually more like a 50/50 split (it is the newspapers focusing on minority groups, that would make you think that the case)

... needing to get a move on now

... saying hello to all her loved ones, and gives big kisses to you all

... farewell

Movie World Premiere - The Accidental Husband

WOW! Its all I can say, just WOW. Tonight I was catching up with Toni at Okawari for a fantastic sushi dinner (thank heavens for Yvey and Dix's parents to create such a wonder), but we both got a little sidetracked being near Leicester Square we got caught up in the movie world premiere for The Accidental Husband.

Everyone wants to feel a little bit of the sparkle and glamour that comes from a movie premiere, just once...or maybe more. However, the Metro paper this morning and last night was advertising the premiere of the movie with Uma Thurman and Colin Firth, so we had to go, of course. Well I know Colin is old enough to be my Dad, but I am 31 and have a school girl crush on him that I never had for anyone (no Laura - NKOTB was your crush!) when I was a school girl. It was perfect timing as like I said Toni and I were planning to be a street away, so why not go!

We waited for ages, and we were not even standing together (we arrived seperately and kinda didn't find each other at all), for me it was around 2 hours waiting and waiting to see Colin Firth. Sad - well you may think so, but I am a little bit impressed with myself right now... just a little. I ended up talking to a couple of random people in the crowd, which to be quite honest was not too bad a friendly bunch and not a huge amount of people.

Random B celebs to Z celebs (damn that Jade Goody) arrived, then Uma arrived, in a firetruck with lots of firemen - damn she is hot. She is so skinny, but absolutely gorgeous. No fab frock, just a dressy top and black pants, but she was pretty crowd friendly and wandered around for about 20 minutes or so, talking and signing autographs.

Then finally when my feet could almost no longer stand being frozen any longer (I was wearing heels straight from work) Colin casually strolled in, ran in onto the red (white - its a wedding movie) carpet. So casually in fact, lots of whispers echoed around the crowd, is that him, no cannot be, yes it is, no it isn't. Till finally I got a glimpse of his profile and my word, whew...nearly melted into the floor. I had finally seen in person, in the flesh, the one man who makes me weak at the knees, Mr Darcy, Mark Darcy - well Colin Firth. Ah Bliss, ah bless.

Well that must be the hightlight of the year so far...after all that excitement, Toni and I finally met up and nattered away in Okawari for a much deserved dinner of awesome sushi.

Enjoy the pics!

In preparation, getting the white carpet ready
Billboards
A celeb...I think...she signed autographs
Cher and well not sure...fake celebs, there was Robbie Williams, Lionel Richie and Frank Sinatra too
A Girl Band....
All the girls...who??
Another Celeb... sorry am really crap at this...and didn't have my glasses on either
Uma arrives in a firetruck
Oh Uma - she was lovely
Zoomed in Uma
Uma close up, she was so close
First glimpse of Colin Firth
Colin with Uma
Toni at Okawari
Okawari on Lisle St - Soho
Lisa eating Sushi - Yummo

New Year Eve 2007

What a Blast! I am usually a bit of a homebody for New Yeas, after all it really is another day of the year. Though last year was the year of years, it was so good, so bad, so right, so wrong all at once, am still not sure what to make of it.
So I thought to go out, have an amazing time, with amazing people and celebrate the year that was and the year that this one is now becoming. January so far has proved a bit mixed, what with atrocious weather, a fabulous weekend in Belfast, an empty bank account, endless illnesses, but despite those things, I can feel the good year that 2008 is going to be coming along, seeping out of the woodwork, in my waters, so bring it on.

In the meanwhile, back to 31 Dec 2007... just for a bit. The venue was Sandersons Hotel, extremely swanky in the heart of London, just off Oxford Street, the theme was Burlesque, it was glitzy, glamorous, the champagne was flowing (more like we were drowning in it) and it was such a fun stress free night - I went out with a bang! Here are some piccies to prove it.

Table settings at Sandersons
The room
Our table
More of the room
The Waiter
Group shot counting down
Is it New Year yet?
Lisa with the entertainers
Our entertainment on the floor
The Star of the show Imodesty Blaize